Hello Again my Family Dear,

I can't believe September is already over. Eve raised a question as to if I write my emails on Sunday. Just to clear that up, we are 17 hours ahead of Idaho so I'm almost a full day ahead here. I posted a couple pictures. One is of me giving my cheesiest grin while frying bananas for lunch. One is Sister Calio racing to weave a basket at our branch activity, and the final one is just some of the local food I have the opportunity to eat every day. I'm getting to the point where I crave a coconut if I haven't had one for a few days. 

Mary was telling me how small Pohnpei looks on the map. There is one main road that goes around the perimeter of island and we can drive the whole thing in about 2 hours going 30mph.

This week we got a brand new car. Some of the Elders were using it for a couple days but when we got it, it still only had about 160 miles. We have to be extra careful with it. The roads here are covered in potholes.

On Saturday we took a couple of the YSA age people with us to go contact one of their friends. When we got there the whole family (over 10 adults, the momma, and I don't even know how many children) were there. They all stopped what they were doing and sat in for the lesson. They live pretty close to the church building and I'm very hopeful that we'll at least get a few good investigators out of the family. 

I tried parrot fish for the fist time this week. It was the strangest fish I'd ever seen. It is very colorful and has a beak just like a parrot. I'll have to take a picture of one someday. 

It has been raining all morning. From what I'm told, They get more rain here in a single rainstorm than Idaho gets the entire year. I can definitely believe that. After about ten minutes of rain there are already rivers running through the streets. 

I love you all and enjoy reading your letters and emails. I was sad to here uncle Garth isn't doing well but I am glad he is getting better and will keep him in my prayers.

Remember to study the scriptures every day and treasure up the words of God. I know he gives us more knowledge the more we seek to find it. Be good boys and girls and don't take any wooden nickles.

With all my Love, 

 Sister Beutler

Some of the local food I have the opportunity to eat every day.

Sister Beutler frying Bananas

Sister Calio racing to weave a basket at our branch activity.

Dear family and friends,

It has been another good week in Sapwalap. We went on exchanges again at the beginning of the week and I was with Sister Saliau in Kolonia (see attached photo). She finishes her mission this next transfer and gave me lots of good advice about forgetting myself and putting my whole heart and soul in the mission. 

Sister Beutler with Sister Saliau in Kolonia

On Wednesday we went to the Welters do do service. We helped them dig up taro. I always like learning how to do new things and the locals like to teach me. They all worry about my skin turning dark though. I try to tell them that I'm used to being out in the sun but I don't think they believe me.

When we went to teach one of our recent converts they were eating little crabs. they gave me a claw to eat and when I but down on it I must've hit a nerve because the joint and claw moved. I let out a squeal and threw it across the room. I felt a little bad but after I explained myself they just laughed and laughed. 

We have a family we are teaching with four children. We have only been able to see them a couple times but the little boys love us and they came to the primary activity and church this week. One of our members who was helping us teach said he met the husband on the road the other day. The husband asked if he was a member and then told him that one day his whole family was going to join our church!

The language comes to me more and more each day and I enjoy speaking it. They use the same words for multiple things in this language, making everything sound very broken if translated into English. Sometimes I wish their were more words so I could express myself better but I guess it makes the language easier to learn. There are lots of honorific words that I need to be careful to use when appropriate such and when I am speaking to and older person, or about God. 

One thing I have learned is how much I took for granted growing up where I did. The members would give anything to have a temple nearby or be able to attend a live session of general conference. It was such a blessing to grow up among so many saints. 

I am so grateful for this gospel and the opportunity to serve the Lord. I know one day Pohnpei will be full of saints. The gospel is spreading so fast here but there is still so much work to be done. 

I love you all very much.

Sister Beutler

A Pohnpein apple and one of the many types of bananas here.

 

Hello again my dearies,

 

It has been a good week. Today is my one month anniversary in Pohnpei!  

Congratulations to Aaron and Aneesa on their new baby. He sounds like quite the chunk. I want to see a picture.

Last week we went on exchanges after p-day so I was in Kolonia with the other Sister Varea. From that day on I have no longer been teaching with notes. I just use the words I know and the investigators and Sister Varea help me along when I'm stuck on a word. It's amazing how much you can say with only a vocabulary of about 200 words. Anyway, while we were on exchanges a man came up to us while we were walking to a lesson and what I got out of the conversation is that he was telling us to come teach him. As I started to follow him Sister R. Varea told him "Soh Mwahw (no we're good)" then took me by the arm and led me away. She then  told me he was drunk and was telling her to leave so I could go teach him by myself. We got a good laugh out of that.

I recently found out that there are kings on Pohnpei. I guess each clan has one and they go to all the funerals and important events but none of the other sisters have ever met one as far as they know.

For service this week we helped a family weed their taro. Weeding is much different here. The roots hardly even go into the ground because it rains so much. They put all the weeds in a wheelbarrow and then dumped them in the river. I don't know how much good that really does to prevent them from spreading.   

On Thursday we had a couple appointments fall through so we went to a member family to teach them the restoration and how to do their own missionary work. There were lots of aunts and cousins there so we were teaching about 7 adults and 20 children. When we finished we asked if they knew anyone who wanted to hear the gospel. Two of the children (a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old) piped up and said they wanted to be baptized. They go to church every week with their cousins and we didn't even know they weren't members. Their mothers said it would be fine if they got baptized and they are really excited to take the discussions and become part of the church.    

I've gotten to where I hate the word pwetepwet (pronounced: pwech-a-pwech). It means white. At first I thought it sounded fun but people usually use it when they aren't saying very nice things about me. It isn't a fun word anymore.

I have recently found that I need to repent and shave my legs more than once a week. A couple nights ago during a lesson I had my legs extended out because they had fallen asleep while I was sitting cross-legged. One of the little girls put her hand on my legs and then excitedly exclaimed how poky they were. All the kids then had to come rub my legs to feel for themselves. I don't think it helped the spirit of the lesson much.

Jared asked about the raw fish and in my letter I didn't explain it very well so I will do it now for all to hear. They serve all the fish here with the head and everything. They only eat certain kinds raw. They cut slices in the sides and then massage lemon juice and salt into the meat. When I ate it, it felt a little bit like I would imagine biting though someone's flesh and tearing the meat off their skin with my teeth. I don't know that I enjoyed the experience that much.

Mom wanted to know more about my living situation so here it is. We live in a one room house about the size of my bedroom at college. We have electricity but it usually turns off for a few hours every morning so we need make sure to charge things when we do have it. The water in the tap is rain water so on P-day we fill our blue jugs with filtered water in Kolonia and use that for drinking water. It is only $1.50 for 5-gallons. There are ants everywhere so we keep anything they could get into either in the fridge or freezer. The other night I was drying myself off and saw I was covered in ants. I guess they thought my towel would make a good home. We do have a washer and dryer in a little section behind our house so that is really nice.  

Love you all,

Sister Beutler

P.S. The picture is of me and the other sisters along with a member (Sister Calio).

Kasalelie peneinei (hello family),

     It has been a good week for Sister Varea and I. Jeffery was baptized on Saturday. He was really nervous for the interview and the baptism and all but afterwards he looked so happy and I know that one day he will be a strong priesthood holder for our branch.

     The people here give us food all the time. A couple days ago I tried a couple new foods, Pohnpein peanuts and also bananas cooked in coconut milk which tasted a little like peach cobbler. I am used to seeing children with machetes now. The first few days I expected them to come running after me with them but everybody carries them around as their main tool.

     We always have plenty of people to teach here. I still have never had to go out "finding." The people we teach are all refferals and someone in the house is always willing to listen. Setting appointments is a little different though. Everyone is on island time here so they mostly just have three time frames in their mind (morning, afternoon, and evening). Marvin and Jayleen are a nice young couple we began teaching this week. They seem very interested and I think they are very promising. We hiked up to Catarina's (an investigator) house and when we got there she was gone but there were a bunch of men and young boys who we taught. I was a little scared during that lesson, all the huts are usually filled with women so I'd never taught so many men at once.

     We made a Pohnpein Book of Mormon calendar yesterday morning and we are going to challenge all our new converts to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. Their Book of Mormon only has 79 chapters because the rest haven't been translated yet so it shouldn't be too hard. We gave the challenge to the Augustine family last night and they are really excited to get started. They are a really fun family (there is a picture of them). The husband doesn't want to be part of the church but sister Augustine keeps praying for him and sometimes he'll sit in for parts of our lessons. I know one day he will accept it. Right now I think he just doesn't want to give up his saukou and beetle-nut but his wife and daughters continue to be good examples to him.  

     I am using the language more in our lessons everyday and understand most of what is going on. I still have to throw in lots of English words when I speak but the people all like to help me along and I am grateful for their help and patience with me.

     I love you all and can feel your prayers. 

                                Love, Sister Beutler

PS. The pictures are of Jeffery's family, The Augustine family, and our zone after playing football)

It was exciting to hear about Austin and Chris' mission calls!

Football Game with the Zone

The Augustine Family

Jeffery's Family after his baptism

My Dear Family,

This week has been pretty good. Tuesday Sister Varea was still supposed to be resting for her sickness so we deep cleaned our little house and studied the language. Wednesday we had appointments planned for the whole day but almost everything fell through because there was a funeral. I guess when someone dies here they have a funeral that day. They slaughter several pigs and the whole town stops what they are doing and goes. Jeffery is an investigator we have been working with. We set a definite baptismal date for him this Saturday and fasted with him yesterday. His wife is already a convert and I am so excited for their family. A little girl brought us a smashed dried up frog yesterday. There are frogs everywhere at night. They are so cute when they're alive. Sister LeFevre told me she has a mission blog that can be found  through her facebook Melanie Desmond LeFevre. (http://alanmelanielefevre.blogspot.com/)

The weather is always the same. It rains for awhile almost every day and stays between 75F and 85F. According to my companion the days don't get longer and shorter here. That might get a little boring. But, I am informed that the holidays still come even though the seasons don't change! Sister Varea said Figi weather is the same as here, along with the customs so she didn't have much adjusting to do.

With Love,

Sister Beutler